Full statement from MTA on call for new B44 stop

As we have expressed to the Council members on several occasions, a stop at that location is simply not feasible. In 2014, we added two additional stops (at Gates Ave and Ave L) on the SBS B44 at the community's request. At that time, we also looked at the community's request for a stop at Ave R.

Transfer levels at Ave R are much lower than at the stops added at Gates Ave and Ave L. There are also physical obstacles at Ave R that make placing an SBS stop there impossible. When we attempted to lengthen the northbound stop at Ave R in order to prepare for longer, articulated SBS buses to stop there, the newly lengthened stop extended across a private driveway. Because of this, we had to return the bus stop to its original length which only allows for the shorter, standard local buses to properly and safely stop there.

There are no satisfactory alternate locations for a SBS stop at Ave R. Customers wishing to utilize the B44 SBS can either walk two blocks north to Kings Hwy or three blocks south to Ave U.

As a reminder, the purpose of SBS is to decrease travel times for the majority of our customers along the entire route. There are 21 SBS stops that have replaced the 39 limited stops along the 9-mile route. This has resulted in travel times decreasing southbound by as much as 22 percent and northbound by as much as 32 percent. We have no plans to make any additional changes to the route, but will continue to monitor operations to ensure our customers are being optimally served.